Long Live
by gentleautumnrain
Summary: If you have children someday, and when they point to the pictures, please tell them my name. *ALSO READ ON WATTPAD*
1. prologue

_It's a bit short, but this will have ten or eleven more chapters. And if you're reading this, thank you: you are one of my few readers._

* * *

"You won't think I'm beautiful when my face is all wrinkly, Jerome." she laughed at the thought, but Jerome didn't.

"Makes no difference to me." he shrugged as he led her to the dry part of the riverside to sit on.

The warmth of Jerome's coat made the cold ignorable. She stayed silent as Jerome kept rubbing her arm. "How long will we last?"

"Forever, if you decide not to leave me." his tone was teasing, but he was serious.

"I wouldn't, you know."

"I do." he smiled. "But people change, Mara. I did, and it broke us apart. I'm not as stable as you are, Jaffray. I can be shook by a light wind while you stay strong. I can promise that I'd never leave you."

"What is your point, exactly?" she pulled her head away from his chest to look at him. "Are you saying that I should expect that?"

"No. I don't want you to."

"Alright, well..." she trailed off and silence remained for a long time. "Could I ask you to expect that from me, J?"

Jerome's heart stopped. He didn't speak, and his eyes drifted away from hers.

"J, I'm sorry..."

Jerome's voice trembled. He let go of her. "And it's just like that, Jaffray? You'll leave me broken?"

"I'm dying, Jerome. Everyday." Jerome rolled his eyes, thinking it was one of her poetic lines. "I had a heart attack when you were in Florida and two weeks ago. I've been diagnosed with Atherosclerosis when I was born. The doctors thought they cured it, but they didn't. I love you, Jerome. I'm sorry. I'm _so _sorry."

"What?"

"Ten days. I have ten days left."

Jerome pulled her to him and held her so tightly that she couldn't breathe, but she didn't care for now. She counted the days of her life, and the Jerome's dreams for the future would be cut off.


	2. day one

"Just because I'm falling, doesn't mean you should go down with me." Mara sighed. It was raining, and they were both in Jerome's room.

"I have to, because no one's there to catch you, Mara dearest." Jerome smiled.

"How will I tell them? I don't want them to be sympathetic. I can't just say, 'Guys, I'm dying in about a week. Please get over it.'"

Jerome put his book down. "You have to get it out soon, Jaffray. You can't just leave them." Mara wanted Jerome to act calm towards the situation, and it was the hardest thing Jerome has done in his seventeen years.

"I'll tell them tonight," she said steadily. "I'll tell them."

"Jaffray, don't take this lightly." Jerome's voice trembled. "Please. I haven't even planned what I'll do once this... this is all over."

Mara moved to his side on the bed. "You'll go to college, get a job and have children." Mara felt sick, thinking of Jerome in the future. Falling in love with someone else, someone that would fill the space in his heart and ask her to marry him when it should be her. She should be the one in front of him when he gets down on one knee. But that wouldn't happen. Jerome - one way or another - will soon move on and perhaps even forget about her.

Jerome seemed to have read her mind. "I can't forget you that easily, Beansybop," he ran a hand through his hair frustratingly. "If I get married, I'll always see you in that gown no matter how beautiful my bride may be. I'll always see your eyes in the children I may have. I'll always see you on that stage giving that speech on graduation... even though it's Rutter."

Mara giggled quietly. "Stop it, Jerome."

Jerome nodded. He needs to stop and save all the crying for the last day.

"Dinner!" Trudy's voice sang like birds in the forest.

Mara sighed shakily. Jerome took her trembling hand in his steady ones and pulled her up. "Ready?"

Mara nodded to his chest. Everyone was seated by the time they got down.

"Guys," Mara looked at their curious faces. Jerome rubbed her arm. Oh, how was she going to say this? "I'm sick, and I have about a week left. I hope you'd shrug it off as if I had a mild cold, and treat me as if I'm normal..." she trailed off and sighed at their shocked faces. Amber was crying. Alfie's hand was on his mouth. Joy looked down on her lap. Fabian's mouth was wide open. Patricia and Eddie... well, they looked at Jerome's broken expression. Jerome was the reflection of a broken heart.

"Oh, Mara..." Trudy's voice trembled from the kitchen. She ran over and gave Mara a tight hug.

Alfie, wiping his tears, said, "You're smart," he sobbed, "You can look for a cure, can't you?" That earned a quiet laugh.


	3. day two

_This chapter is dedicated to dear Rachel because she's just my favorite fanfiction writer of all time._

* * *

"Knock knock," Jerome pushed the door open with his shoulder, a camera brought up to his face. Mara was on her stomach, reading as if it were any other day. Mara looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"Put that down!" she whined, meeting Jerome halfway and snatched the camera from his hands. Jerome took it back with no effort and continued to film her.

"The campus brain and beauty, people," he winked. "She's here to tell us about... life."

"Stop it, J, I'm working."

"Reading," he corrected. "Re-reading."

"Like always, Jerome." she sighed, putting her book down. "High school, right?" she snorted, and Jerome's amused smile morphed into a sorrowful one. He put his camera down as Mara pushed herself up. He took her wrists from behind and stroked her knuckles with his thumb.

"I'm gonna miss this." she sighed. Jerome shushed her. "You won't, because you're not going anywhere." he whispered.

Mara's lip began to tremble. "Being optimistic won't help my situation, J."

"Mara," he sighed. "You'll get through this. Nothing is impossible. We can't do anything but try, okay?"

"I'm going away, okay?" she was choking on her tears. "Death is inevitable, and you can't change that. You're going to meet someone, a-and you'll love her a million times more than you've ever loved me." She paused, looking at Jerome shaking his head, but continued. "She's going to catch your eye, and you'll just fall in love every time you see her, just like you said you do with me. You'll probably have a daughter, and she'll have your eyes and will be absolutely beautiful."_  
_

"Don't..." Jerome took her hands and told himself to never let go. Never. _She's the true gem. Never lose her._

"Jerome... I love you. With all my heart, and I always will. But I'm sorry. I can't let you see me suffer and make you suffer as well. We're over. I love you."

The next thing he knew, Jerome was leaning on his door crying his heart out. Mara's last few words were the most confusing words he has ever heard. Alfie, knowing what Jerome needed, left him to be alone and think things through. No. She's wrong. He'll wake up everyday with a gap in him, and he'll just feel empty all his life. Screw love. Screw love for doing this to him. It built him up and broke him down again. _Mara Jaffray._ It had a whole different meaning now.


	4. day three

_I like to believe that your reviews are real, but they're not. Thank you so much!_

* * *

"Would you like to add something else before I begin, Miller?" Mrs Valentine tapped on her table to get his attention. Once again, Sibuna was on edge. Jerome didn't roll his eyes at them this time. He simply stared attentively at the teacher, much to her surprise.

"No, ma'am." Eddie muttered, sulking in his seat.

Mara was crying inside. She decided to sit at the back today, though no one really cared since she was always the kind of person to do this from time to time. She watched Jerome with a loving, broken gaze, memorizing him from head to toe. Alfie sneaks a glance at her from time to time, and Mara does nothing but smile.

Once they were told to approach their lab partners, Mara watched Joy go towards her with something of a determined look on her face.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Joy sighed. "_You _broke up with _him, _Mara. Not the other way around,"

"I had no choice," Mara replied, taking their assignment slip. "it's my fault, and I can't let him suffer for it."

"Mara, you idiot," Joy snapped. "Can't you see what you're putting him through?" Mara turned her head to see Jerome still in the same place as he was a few minutes ago.

"We were going to end anyway, Joy. Our relationship wasn't going anywhere at all." Mara whispered.

"At least _try _to have a healthy friendship with him. That's all I'm asking for."

Before Mara could protest, Joy was gone.

* * *

"Hi," was all Mara could say. Fate led them to the same room: the common room, to be exact.

Jerome looked up at the sound of her voice, and looked around in confusion. _Me? _he mouthed. Mara nodded. "Hi," she repeated.

"Hello, _Mara." _Mara. Mara. Jerome has stopped calling her that ever since they've started dating a forever ago. He leaned back on his seat nonchalantly to Mara's surprise.

"I guess I'm not supposed to ask if you're free next week." she muttered, sitting on the table. Jerome rolled his eyes.

"Guess not."

"I'm not quite good at conversations. You start."

"What?" Jerome scrunched his brows.

"Can't you just be normal around me, Jerome?"

"I am doing exactly that, Mara."

Mara was about to sneak in a laugh when she realized that he wasn't joking. He _was _acting normal around her. This was the Jerome she knew before she entered his life. This was the sneaky cheater he grew up to be. He was locking up the doors that Mara had the key to.

"You can't just put all that away. You know that, right?"

"Who said I'm forgetting?" Jerome ran his hand through his hair. "It'll always be at the center of my mind. It's not going anywhere, but those are nothing but memories now. You're my friend. Perhaps my best friend if you'd like. But we were 'never' _that. _This is the solution you've got in mind, am I right? You wanted to break it off so I could forget. Well, I'm not, but I can at least try to."

Mara nodded. "Okay."


	5. day four

_Your reviews are amazing! Frankly, I have to check where I stopped last chapter because I keep on forgetting. :P_

* * *

That night, well... Mara was at war with herself. She was too confused about her feelings and what she should do. She _loved _Jerome more than anything. It was _her _fault anyway. If she didn't get sick, they would be happy as ever. Because of her, here they are, broken and lost. Jerome was off limits now, and Joy wasn't an option. She had nobody here. Her parents wrote to her the other night telling her to come home, and she leaves early in the morning. Great.

A thunderstorm roared over Mara's loud sobs, so Joy ignored everything. Mara, freezing, ran down the stairs to the kitchen only to find Jerome still in the same seat since she left. Mara's loud steps made Jerome jump and turn around, but when he saw her, he turned away quickly.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed, Mara?" he asked, not looking at her.

"Yeah, but I got cold..." she muttered, turning up the temperature then headed for the kitchen to make herself something. Mara then was haunted by her memories with him in this room. They almost kissed, then they kissed. He asked her out, she said yes. He asked her out again, she said yes. He asked her best friend out, she said yes. And now...

"What are _you _doing here?" she asked nervously, almost feeling Jerome smirk at her nervousness.

"Thinking," he mumbled, "re-thinking."

"Okay..." Mara poured some water in a kettle and put it on a lit stove.

Only the silent humming of the kettle filled the room. Mara was waiting for Jerome to leave like he always did when he knows that his presence was no longer necessary, but he stayed this time.

Once the water began boiling, Mara turned the stove off and attempted to grab the handle with her bare hand, and she squealed at the heat. Jerome, forgetting his pride, rushed over to Mara and pulled her hands to the sink, pouring water over it. The butterflies that swarmed in her stomach returned once again. After Mara's expression of pain melted away, Jerome cleared his throat and backed away. Soon enough they were blinded by a light, and the source was Victor, his usual fury traced on his face.

"Miss Jaffray, Mr Clarke," Victor stepped aside the door to make room for them. As they rushed past him, he muttered, "I will deal with you two tomorrow."

* * *

"Good morning... Jerome," Mara's bright face disappeared when she found out that only Jerome was in the common room the next morning.

"Mara..." Jerome nodded in acknowledgement.

"Why can't we be friends, J?" Mara sighed, using his favorite nickname from her.

Jerome looked up at the sound. "Aren't we, Jaffray?" he winked.

"Are we?" she didn't smile.

"I don't know... do you want to be?"

"It's too late for that, anyway... I'm leaving in a few hours."

"I see..." Jerome sighed. "But it isn't too late, Jaffray dearest."

Mara took her place beside him, grabbing a cookie in the process.

"Mara..." he tapped on the table impatiently.

"What?"

"I'm just saying... we can be friends, you know."

"Hmm... I guess." Mara's head was spinning. Her life was now then revolving around him once he pressed his familiar lips into hers.


End file.
